Emil amos hoefer



(No` Model.)

E.A .H0EPBR. STOVEPIPE DAMPER.

No. 471,718. VPatented Mar. 29, 1892.

rUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL AMOS I-IOEFER, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WARNERMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

'sTovl-:PIPE-DAMPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,718, dated March29, 1892.

Application ledAugust l0, 1891- Serial No. 402,205. (No model.)

To afZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL AMos HOEFER, of Freeport, in the county ofStephenson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Stovepipe-Dampers; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereomwhichform a part of this specification.

This invention relates to stovepipe-dampers, and more particularly tothat class in which the damper is composed of a blade and a separablespindle, whereby lthe blade may be first placed in position within thepipe and the spindle then passed diametrically through the pipe from theoutside thereof and connected with the blade, so as to support and turnthis latter.

'Ihe chief objects of the present invention are, iirst, to provide meansfor readily conneet-ing the spindle and blade and for automaticallylocking the two parts together; second, to provide means for preventingthe guard or sleeve on the spindle from becoming too easily disengagedtherefrom when the spindle is detached; third, to provide means wherebythe spindle may itself form its own bearing-apertures in the stove-pipe;fourth, to provide a non-conducting handle of simple and effectiveconstruction.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain novelfeatures, which will first be described, and will then be specificallypointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a damperembodying the invention in one form. Fig. 2 is a central transversesectional view of the blade detached. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view ofaportion of the blade. Fig. 4 is a detail end elevation of the damper.Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig.6 is a view of the spindle detached and viewed from the opposite sidefrom Fig. l. Fig. 7 is a detail end elevation of the sleeve or guard.Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 3. Fig.9 is a detail view of one end of the spindle, illustrating a modifiedform of the invention. Fig. 10 is a view parts A A2, having a spacebetween them to receive the spindle B, the said parts being connected bybridge-pieces or half -sleeves a a2. The two half-sleeves ct are locatedon one sideA of the blade, one at each side of the central opening a,while the two half-sleeves a2 are located one at each end of the bladeat the margin thereof. These half-sleeves span the space between `theparts A and A2 of the damper, and form in connection with said space asleeve into which the spindle B may be inserted. One of the endhalfsleeves a? is preferably provided With a projecting semi-hub a3 tobear against the inner side of the stovepipe. The other one of thehalf-sleeves a2 is provided on its inner face with twodiagonally-opposite lugs a4 and a5.

The lug a* is provided with a spirally-in-V clined edge or face a6,adjoining which is a straight edge or face a7, terminating in a stop as.VThe lug a5 is provided with an inclined edge or face a9 opposite theface dief the lug d4, and with an edge or face 0.10 adjacentthereto andparallel with the face al of the lug a4. The faces a7 and d10 may beparallel with the axis of the spindle when inserted, but are preferablyslightly inclined thereto in the manner shown, for the reasonshereinafter pointed out.

The spindle B may be Vconstructed in any suitable manner so far as itsbody portion is concerned; but it preferably has the quadrangulargrooved body shown, the end portion thereof near the point end-beingreduced in diameter and cylindrical in form and provided with a spiralrib or thread b, extending around one-half of its circumference. Thisrib or thread has its ends b b2, enlarged or extended parallel with theaxis of the spindle vIoo some little distance, as shown in Fig. 6. Theextreme end of the cylindrical portion of the spindle is beveled off, asshown, to form a sharp point 194, provided with knife-edges 195 for thepurpose of e'nablingithe spindle to be forced through the sheet metal ofwhich the stovepipe is constructed, and thus form its ownhearing-apertures.

I extending toward the blade.

C indicates a sleeve or guard mounted loosely on the spindle, and free,when in position, to move longitudinally thereon within a limited range.This sleeve is provided with an inwardly-proj ectin g lug c, which isadapted to engage the grooves of the body of the spindle B. One of thesegrooves, as 196, is continuous from the reduced point section of thespindle to the point where the sleeve is located when in properposition, and the adjacent groove 197 is connected therewith by a notch198, formed transversely through the intermediate rib of the spindle.The groove 197 is provided with a transverse stop 199, located somelittle distance pointward from the notch 198, while the groove 196 isdesirably provided with a stop 1910, arranged in line with that edge ofthe slot 198 which is nearest the handle of the spindle.

The spindle B is provided at its end opposite the point end with atransverse handlebar or arm B', having at each end a stud 1911, Thesleeve C is provided with corresponding lateral arms C', each providedwith la stud c', extending toward the corresponding stud 1911. SpringsD, spirally coiled, located between arms B and C and supported by thestuds thereon, tend to force the sleeve-studs C normally toward theblade A. When the spindle has the grooved form shown, it will beprovided, as shown in Fig. 5 and in dotted lines in Fig. l, with anannulus 1912, surrounding that portion of its body which comes withinthe half-sleeve C1. of the blade `nearest the point end when the partsare engaged, this ann ulus being, of course, cut away or-omitted at thatportion of the spindle wherein the groove 196 is located, as will beseen in Fig. 5.

The devi-ce thus constructed operates in the following manner: Thesleeve C is slipped on over the point of the spindle and slid along thebody portion of the same with its lug c in the groove 19G thereof. Whenthe lug c comes in contact with the stop 1910, it is opposite the notch198, and the sleeve Cbeing given a quarter-turn the said lug c passesthrough said notch 198 and. engages the groove 197. The arms C of thesleeve are now parallel with the handle-bar or arm B and the springs Dare compressed and slipped into position over the studs 1911 c in theposition shown. These springs will force the sleeve C pointward untilthe lug c thereof comes into contact with the stop 199 and will holdsaid sleeve stationary against said stop, and thus prevent its slidingor dropping off of the spindle before the same is connected with theblade. I

lug c opposite the notch 19S, the sleeve being v thus prevented fromrotating on the spindle while the said springs are in position by reasonof the engagement of its lug c with the groove 197. The blade A is thenplaced in position in the stovepipe and the spindle B forced or driventhrough the wall of the pipe, cutting its way by means of itsknife-edged sharpened point 194, and inserted into the space between theparts A A2 of the blade and the half-sleeves d' d2 thereof until thespiral rib or thread 19 of the spindle comes in contact with one or bothof the lugs d4 d5 of the half-sleeve a2. The spindle is then rotateduntil the rib 19 engages with the inclined edge or face d6 of the lugd4, beingv forced inward, if necessary, so as to effect this engagement,the said rib coming into contact with the inclined surface or edge ai ofthe lug d5, if so forced inward, thereby preventing its being forced toofar inward. I When the rib is once engaged with the incline d6 of thelug a5, mere rotation of the spindlein the proper direction is all thatis necessary to gradually draw the spindle inward toward its finalposition. When the end 192 of the rib19 passes olf or clear of the endof the incline a, the springs D, which have in the meanwhile beencompressed by reason of the contact of the sleeve C with the outside ofthe stovepipe, will draw the spindle outward, the end d2 of the rib 19passing along the edge or surface a7 of the lug CL4. At the same timethe end 19 of the rib 19 comes into contact with the surface or the edged10 of the lug a5 and acts as a stop to prevent further rotation of thespindle in the blade in one direction, while the contact of the end 192of said rib with the edge di of thelug a4 prevents its rotation in theother direction. The faces or edges di d10 of the lugs a4 a5 arepreferably somewhat inclined, asshown, tothe axis of rotation of thespindle, so that as the springs D draw the spindle outward the spindleis wedged between said lugs d4 a5 and the'otherA half-sleeves in theblade. This wedging action may or may not occur before the end 192 ofthe rib 19 comes in contact wit-h the stop a8, and in the latter casethe said stop arrests the further outward movement of the spindle, whichmight disengage it from the blade. ln case the edges @1010 are notinclined, as described and shown, this stop will always arrest theoutward movement of the spindle at the properpoint and hold the samelocked to the blade. The annulus 1912 forms a smooth continuous bearingsurface for the spindle within the half-sleeve a during its rotation;The wall of the stovepipe will of course be clamped between the sleeve Cand the semihub or collar a3 of the other half-sleeve a2 when the partsare in final position. vThe spindle IOO and blade being thus lockedtogether in the manner described rotation of the spindle by means of itshandle, which is outside of the stovepipe, will turn the blade withinthe pipe to the desired position. The parts may be disengaged by forcingthe spindle inward until the rib thereof clears the lug a4 and thenturning said spindle in the reverse direction until it can be withdrawn.

Vliile the form of my invention shown in Figs. l to 8, inclusive, andjust described, is one which I prefer, yet it is obvious that theconstruction may be modified in various ways and that Yseveral of thedesirable but not strictly necessary features thereof may be omittedwithout departing from the principle of my invention. For instance, Ihave shown in Figs. 9 and l0 a Vmodified form of the connecting meansbetween the spindle and the blade,.in which the half-sleeve d2 isprovided with a simple projection au, while the rib b is provided with anotch or recess Z213, into which the projection au fits when the spindleis drawn back by its spring upon complete engagement. It is also obviousthat by a mere reversal the male member of the screw con-` nect-ion maybe on the blade and the female member on the spindle.

The particular manner of interposing the spring or springs between thesleeve and spindle-liead (shown in Fig. l) may also be varied in manyWays, and in Figs. 1l and 12 there is illustrated a modification of thisfeature, in which the sleeve C on the spindle has the shape of a simpleapertured disk or washer, and the spindle B is provided with a collarB2, between which and the sleeve C there is interposed a spring D',coiled around the spindle, which latter is provided with a stop cl forthe end of the spring and a retaining-lug d',

'between which and the collar B2the spring D passes and is held so as toprevent its dropping off of the spindle when this latter is separatedfrom the blade.

In Fig. ll I have also shown a handle which I `have devised, in which across-bar B3 at the end of the spindle is provided withoutwardlyextending parallel arms B4, which arms are respectivelyprovided with a short stud e and a long arm e', both circular incross-section and curved as shown, a sufficient space being left betweenthe arm and stud at one side of the handle to permit a coiled spring Eto be slipped first over the arm e by bending the same laterally, so asto clear the stud e, and then compressing the said spring sufficientlyto slip it over said stud. This structure affords a firm and coolfinger-grasp for turning the damper. The springs D (shown in Fig. l)also aiford a cool hand-grasp in addition to serving as springs to forcethe sleeve toward the point of the spindle.

The extended ends b b2 ofthe rib b also form knife-edges, which help thespindle to cut a way through the pipe for the enlarged body portionthereof.

What I claim is*- l. The stovepipe-damper comprising a blade or damperproper and a separable spindle, a spring adapted to draw the spindleoutwardly from engagement with said blade, female halfthreads on theblade and 1 male half-threads on the spindle, adaptedfor engagement whenthe spring is compressed, and a stop on the blade, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, with a blade provided withabearing-lug and a stop-lug, of a spindle provided with a spiral rib orthread around one-half its circumference, said rib or thread beingadapted to bear oh the bearing-lug andhaving ends to contact with thestop-lug and bearing-lug, and a spring to draw the spindle outward whenthe rib has passed clear of the bearing-lug, substantially as described.

3. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, with the damper havinghalf-sleeves on opposite sides, one provided with lugs having parallelstop-faces inclined to the axis of the spindle, of a spindle providedwith a spiral vrib having ends adapted to bear on said inclinedstop-faces, and a spring to draw said spindle outward, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, with a blade having lug a4,with inclined faces a6 a7 and stop a8, and lug a5, with inclined facesa9 d10, of a spindle provided with a spiral rib b, having stop-'ends bb2, substantially as described.

5. In a stovepipe-damper,thecombination, with a blade and a spindleadapted to be connected therewith and provided with a continuous groove,a parallel groove having an end stop, and a communicating notch, of asleeveon said spindle provided with a lug to enter the grooves andnotch, and a spring or springs interposed between the sleeve and thespindle, substantially as described.

6. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination,

with a blade, of a spindle separably connected therewith byscrew-threads on the spindle engaging screw-threads on the blade, saidspindle projecting from the blade to form a trunnion to engage thestovepipe and having its cylindric end portion beveled off to formknife-edges, which terminate in a single sharp' point at the end of thespindle, as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, with a blade havinghalf-sleeves, one provided with 'connecting devices for the spindle, ofa spindle adapted to engage said connecting devices when rotated andprovided with an annulus to bear in the adjacent half-sleeve,substantially as described. .Y

8. In a stovepipe-damper,the combination, with a spindle provided with across-bar having parallel arms, said arms having, respectively, a shortstud and a long arm extending toward each other, with an intermediatespace near one side, of a coiled spring adapted to be slipped over saidstud, substantially-as described.

IOO.

IIO

9. In a stovepipe-damper, the combination, In testimony that I claim theforegoing as with a sleeve, of a spindle provided with' a my invention Iaffix my signatnrein presence ro collar, a stop-lug, and aretaining-lug, and a of vtwo witnesses. coiled spring mounted on saidspindle be- 5 tween the sleeve and collar, passing between EMIL AMOSHOEFER' the retaining-lug and collar and bearing at Vitnesses: its endagainst the stop-lng, substantially as F. W. HOEFER, described. D. B.BREED. l

